Welsh Crisis Continues

Posted: December 13, 2013 at 3:21 pm

Even more players are fleeing Wales. Sam Warburton’s Wednesday deadline came and went making it more likely he plays overseas while Leigh Halfpenny is gone. More players could leave if the dispute between the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regions isn’t solved soon. This week the four regions flirted with the Aviva Premiership and now the WRU is taking steps to try and solve the issue. The matter could end up in court.

Australia Launches New Competition

After years of seeing the Wallabies consistently finish behind both New Zealand and South Africa the Australian Rugby Union is taking steps to get younger players more opportunities by creating a new national championship. The competition will run from August to October next year and is expected to have eight to ten teams. Brisbane and Sydney are expected to have multiple teams. There had been concern from those in New South Wales and Queensland that the competition would dilute their competitions but it seems many of those concerns have been assuaged.

Union-League Clash

Staying with the Wallabies, reports surfaced this last week that the team will reportedly play the Great Britain rugby league team next year after the November tests. The match is set for Wembley Stadium and will reportedly play out AUS $10 million. One half of the match will be played with union rules while the other half will be played with league rules. The event is far from 100% certain to happen.

London Irish Gets New Owners

A group of Irish businessmen has taken a controlling share in London Irish. The group comes with a lot of money and should bring stability to a club that has needed it for several years. However, they have dismissed speculation that they will be spending the same amount of money as French teams.